Immortal of the Nine Realms

Li Changsheng frowned. ”Why are you all looking at me? That wasn’t me.”

Li Changsheng indeed wasn’t the person who had spoken earlier.

Someone muttered, ”Now that I think about it... that really didn’t sound like Li Changsheng.”

The crowd exchanged strange glances.

Who else would speak up for a sword cultivator from some backwater place?

Suddenly, a few people turned toward the Third Courtyard.

There, a handsome scholar named Pu Yuanzhu stood smiling and addressed Zhao Yunlu. ”This young man comes from my hometown. He’s here at the Sword Burial Heavenly Steps representing the Long family. If you insist on soul-searching him at this time, wouldn’t that be interfering with the duel between the Long and Sun Families? That might be... rather inappropriate.”

At once, many recalled that Pu Yuanzhu and Li Changsheng came from the same place. The difference, however, was that Pu Yuanzhu cultivated the path of Confucianism. While this was considered a niche path in Qiufeng, it was still part of the path of immortality.

Pu Yuanzhu held far more influence in the Third Courtyard than Li Changsheng did in the main branch. Even the younger Long Family members treated Pu Yuanzhu with great respect.

”I know you. You’re from Tuxiong Star,” Zhao Yunlu said as he looked toward Pu Yuanzhu with a smile. ”Is this boy your junior?”

”His elders back home are friends of mine. Now that he’s far from home, naturally, I ought to look after him a little,” Pu Yuanzhu replied politely but without yielding. ”I believe you can already tell by his identity and cultivation level that he couldn’t have been the one who killed your son.”

A new voice chimed in, ”That’s not necessarily true. My cousin said that this kid had a Loose Immortal protecting him back in his place. If not for that, my cousin and the others wouldn’t have lost so miserably.”

Everyone from the Sun Family turned to Sun Susu, whose Loose Immortal elders looked on with faint amusement.

This was the perfect time to stir up more trouble for the Long Family. Why would they stop her?

”What a venomous woman,” Long Xuan muttered with a dark look. ”She’s trying to get Fang Chen killed.”

”Nothing we can do now. Let’s see if any of the Long Family’s Loose Immortal elders will step in,” Chen Zuozu said quietly.

”Hmph... Looks like someone from the Desolate Academy really values him,” Yan Kun murmured with a faint, mocking tone.

The Loose Immortal Sun Susu referred to could only be from there.

Back where they came from, that name would shock many. Nevertheless, even if that person arrived in Qiufeng, they’d be treated like a nobody, given a seat of unimportance at the end of the table.

Zhao Yunlu looked at Fang Chen with a smile that concealed a piercing chill. ”Oh? He even has a Loose Immortal protector?”

If there truly had been such protection, then perhaps his son’s death wasn’t so impossible after all.

”Is it so strange for him to have a Loose Immortal protector?” Li Changsheng said suddenly. ”Back in our homeland, he’s considered the number one sword talent of his generation. His grandmaster is none other than Li Jingnian, the same man who once reached the top of the Sword Burial Heavenly Steps.”

He continued, ”With that background and potential, it’s only natural for elders to favor him and offer protection. But the idea that someone followed him to Qiufeng just to kill for him? That’s preposterous.”

Hearing what Li Changsheng said, Yan Kun’s expression fell, and he clenched his fists subconsciously, murmuring, ”The number one of the younger generation?”

He had always believed he was the best among his generation.

A Loose Immortal murmured, ”Li Jingnian... That name rings a bell.”

At that moment, an old woman appeared silently behind Pu Yuanzhu. Her eyes were sharp as lightning and locked onto Fang Chen. ”You are Li Jingnian’s grand-disciple?”

Fang Chen bowed respectfully. ”The Old Sword Immortal is indeed the patriarch of my lineage.”

Receiving confirmation from Fang Chen, the old woman immediately turned to Zhao Yunlu and firmly said, ”This boy... I will protect him. Your son’s death has nothing to do with the Long Family. If you want revenge, look elsewhere.”

The Sun Family’s Loose Immortals’ expression turned taut. ”That person from the Third Courtyard....”

Neither the Long nor the Sun Families had sent any third-rank Loose Immortals to this event. There were only second-rank elders to oversee the duel. But even if all of the Long and Sun Family’s second rank Loose Immortals joined forces, they probably weren’t a match for that old woman.

Years ago, she had forged an infamous name in Qiufeng. Her killing methods were strange and unpredictable. The number of first and second-rank Loose Immortals who had died at her hands was uncountable. There was even a time in the cultivation world when people referred to her as the Heaven Calamity Dragoness.

But then one day, she mysteriously disappeared. Rumor had it her life span was nearing its end, so she secluded herself within the Long Family in preparation for her breakthrough into the third rank.

No one had expected her to show up for the duel today, let alone personally shield a sword cultivator that Li Changsheng had brought.

Her word represented the word of the entire Long Family. Every other Loose Immortal present from the Long Family was her junior.

Everyone turned to Zhao Yunlu, unsure whether he’d dare defy the Heaven Calamity Dragoness.

Near the Sword Burial Palace, Zhu Kexiu spoke quietly beside a middle-aged man, Zhu Yuncheng—the current Palace Master. ”Father... is it true? The... rumors about her and that Li Jingnian from the countryside.”

Zhu Yuncheng’s gaze turned somber as he recalled an unforgettable figure who always wore a smirk, who looked down on everyone with contempt and disregard.

”They were far apart in age. It was probably just admiration. But yes, back in the day, Li Jingnian earned many people’s respect in Qiufeng. Though he was a sword cultivator, he never once showed fear. Even when facing cultivators from the path of immortality, he always carried himself like he was the true orthodox one, and everyone else the heretics.”

Zhu Yuncheng said flatly, ”Still, even if he hasn’t passed yet, he’s close. Since he left Qiufeng, he essentially abandoned his chance to become a Loose Immortal.”

”Father... didn’t you once climb the Sword Burial Heavenly Steps with Li Jingnian?”

”Yes. He, Li Changsheng, and I all climbed it together. We all reached the top, but Li Jingnian was the fastest,” Zhu Yuncheng answered coolly.

Zhu Kexiu was shocked. That meant that Li Jingnian’s talent was greater than his father’s?

”Heaven Calamity Dragoness, long time no see,” Zhao Yunlu finally said after a long silence. He cupped his hands and smiled. ”By right, I should honor your request. But since this concerns my son’s life and death, even if I let him go, I must soul-search the others. I hope you’ll allow me that courtesy?”

He gestured toward Fu Donghai and the others.

”That, you can do,” replied the old woman, the Heaven Calamity Dragoness, with a calm nod.

Standing beside Long Ao, Xue Shan looked uneasy. He instinctively glanced at Long Ao, only to find him indifferent. It was as if everything happening had nothing to do with him. That made Xue Shan’s face turn rather grim.

Fu Donghai suddenly spoke up. ”Senior, when we left with the young lady that day, Young Master Zhao was still unharmed. But we had already left Fang Chen behind. As for what happened after... we know nothing!”

Long Ruo turned to look at him, but Fu Donghai didn’t meet her gaze. He kept his head low, gaze flickering.

His words made everyone’s expression shift further.

Was Fang Chen really behind it? Otherwise, why was he the only one unharmed... while Zhao Mingxuan and the others died?